How to Trick the Ministry into Thinking You're in Love
by SophieSolemnlySwears
Summary: When a new Marriage Law is created and every witch and wizard above the age of 16 is paired off, Hermione Granger is furious at her chosen partner- or should she say fiancée. After finding a loop-hole in the Law, she needs another person in the same situation to help- and with Fred Weasley due to marry Pansy Parkinson, can he be the one to do it?
1. The Arrival of Tonks

**DISCLAIMER- I do not own anything Harry Potter related but that doesn't stop me from really, really wishing I owned the twins.**

**Hello!**

**This is the first chapter of my new fanfic and it's kind of a taster to see if you guys like this style/plot/general story as I haven't done anything like this before.**

**Really quickly, this is kind of AU as Voldemort was killed in the trio's sixth year and none of the big characters died (Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Snape, Dumbledore etc) and the trio are all the same age.**

**I think that's about it so I hope you guys enjoy, it's quite a long one-**

* * *

**Chapter 1-**

'Hermione dear! Can you come down here for a second please?'

Mrs. Weasley's voice floated through the many floors of the burrow and managed to wake me from my sleep.

It was nearing nine o'clock in the morning, I realised as I glanced at my clock. I was utterly shocked at how I had managed to sleep in for so long- usually I would have been subjected to either shouts from Ginny or some sort of hazardous prank from the twins.

Merlin knows I will never forget the day I woke up to find a _very_ angered gnome in my bed.

But then again, neither will Fred and George- I happen to be quite the master at Bat-Bogey Hexes now, Ginny's a _great _teacher.

Smirking to myself about my previous battles with the twins, I rolled out of bed and pulled my Muggle hoodie over my pyjamas.

As I stepped out of the room Ginny and I had been sharing, I realised something about the Burrow that had never occurred in all of the years I had know the Weasley's- It was silent.

Carefully, I walked down the stairs making sure to listen out for any of the usual hustle and bustle of the Weasley household.

I heard none of the sorts.

My curiosity peeked as I reached the living room. The entire family was positioned around the room with various degrees of frowns plastered on there ashen faces.

I realised most of them, unlike myself, weren't as accustomed to early mornings.

'Morning everyone,' I smiled, only to have several glares and eye rolls sent my way.

Merlin, they really didn't like the mornings.

Sensing I had better just sit down and see what this was all about, I squeezed myself between Bill and Ron on one of the sofas. The Twins, Percy, Harry and Ginny were all squashed onto the other sofa; Ginny and one of the Twins were in the middle of an elbow fight and by the look on Harry's face it wasn't much fun on that side of the living room.

Mrs. Weasley appeared out of the kitchen and gave me a warm smile. She began pacing anxiously around the room, almost like she was expecting someone.

At this point I was beyond confused and as a Granger that was something that didn't happen all that often. After glancing around at the other tired faces, I decided to speak up.

'Molly, if you don't mind me asking, what are we, um, actually doing?' I asked as politely as I could.

Molly seemed to be jerked from her trance by my voice as she jumped ever so slightly. The red headed mother was incredibly nervous; she was not the usual fiery woman I was used to.

'Well dear, we're just waiting for Charlie to arrive with our chosen Ministry Official and then they can explain everything,'

This was obviously news to everyone as an uproar of 'what's a Ministry Worker coming for?' and 'Charlie? I thought he was in Romania?' bubbled from the redheads.

Mrs. Weasley's irritation soon became evident, 'Hush would you? We will explain everything soon! You need to count your blessings that we found out early with your father being in the Ministry and all; otherwise you would have all been in for one mighty big shock,'

It was pretty clear Mrs. Weasley wasn't happy about whatever was happening at the Ministry and with that a new sense of dread began to fill me, if Molly was angered it must have been bad.

Everyone seemed to get the silent message of 'no more questions,' as we noted her obvious annoyance.

Well, I say _everyone_ but there's always got to be one, right?

Queue the ever clueless Mr. Ronald Weasley.

'Explain what?' Ron asked sounding as if he was still half asleep.

Mrs. Weasley whipped her head round to glare at her youngest boy. As I was busy rolling my eyes with a slight chuckle, Bill took the opportunity to hit him on the shoulder.

'She said not now, you oaf. If you weren't so bloody impatient you would have got the hint,'

A few stifled laughs resounded around the room as Bill ended his small rant. He seemed just as tense as Mr and Mrs. Weasley.

I noticed the tension that had been lingering in the room when I first entered seemed to have become slightly less dense as a sweep of general curiosity took over. A Ministry Official would never come over unless it was highly important and the fact that the entire family- plus Harry and I- were all here just added to our curiosity and confusion.

It was several long minutes later when the second oldest Weasley children finally entered the living room followed by 'our chosen Ministry Official'.

To my surprise, our Ministry worker turned out to be no more than Tonks.

Tonks was an auror at the Ministry of Magic, so they were clearly in need of lots of representatives for whatever the Godric was going on as aurors were nearly always in training or on missions, not delivering 'official news' to families.

'Wotcha everyone,' Tonks chuckled as she took in all of the anxious and eager faces that appeared with her arrival.

A chorus of 'Hello Tonks' came from the crowd and several seconds later two very girly voices screeched out 'Morning Nymphodora'. The Twins batted their eyelashes furiously as they pretended to twirl their hair between ther fingers.

Tonks scowled at the Twins and before she could reply with her usual 'Don't call me Nymphodora,' Mrs. Weasley had already hushed them.

'Right moving on, I'm sure you're all wondering why I've been sent here,' Tonks started.

'And why we're up so bloody early,' came the reply of a twin- George I think.

That one earned him a whack to the head by Mrs. Weasley, much to the amusement of me and Tonks.

'Thank you George,' she replied dryly before reaching into her satchel and pulling out nine identical envelopes.

One for each of us.

'You see there has been a new law passed by the Ministry, one which will heavily affect every single one of you,'

Tonks began to hand out the envelopes; I reached out and grabbed mine. On the front of the crisp parchment was _'Ms. Hermione Jean Granger, aged 18, currently situated at- The Burrow'_ in deep green cursive.

I began to tear the edges of the envelope only to be stopped by Tonks.

'I wouldn't open them just yet; you might want to know what this new law is first before you go stampeding through the letters,'

I decided Tonks was more than likely right so I seized my attack on the parchment.

'The Law is a Marriage Law,' Tonks sighed after a moment of tense silence.

I took a moment from that sentence to sink in. I had come across Marriage Laws whilst studying and I knew they were very tricky things to handle. There had been one hundreds of years ago in the Wizarding World but it was only created after thousands of Wizard and Witches had lost there lives in the Great Battle of Gary the Gruesome.

I couldn't even fathom why the Ministry would need one now. The Wizarding World had been thriving ever since the defeat of Voldemort in our sixth year and now I was finished at Hogwarts, the country had been a much happier place.

I was brought out of my inner monologue by Ron's deep voice.

'What the bloody hell is a Marriage Law?'

A few others agreed with him and before Tonks could answer, I found myself stepping in.

'A Marriage Law is a law that legally binds two people into getting wed. The participants are chosen by the Ministry and there is usually very little one can do to get out of a Marriage Law. Basically, if you don't like your chosen fiancée, you usually just have to live with it for the rest of your life,' I mumbled as I recited all I could remember of Marriage Laws.

Realisation settled on all of the faces in the room and Tonks brought the attention back to herself.

'I realise this will cause a problem for many of you, but the law states that every witch and wizard between the ages of 16-35 who are not already legally wed are to be paired up and married before the end of the summer,' Tonks seemed to be in just as much disbelief as the rest of us. It was only the start of June and that left just over 3 months for us to meet our matches and marry them.

Everyone in the room was eerily quiet as the situation dawned on them.

'I, I can't marry anyone, I'm only 17!' Ginny was the first one to speak and she seemed to be on the verge of tears.

'What if I get some raving loony?' came the next shout from the twins.

Soon all of the envelope recipients were on their feet shouting and questioning a very scared looking Tonks.

'Everybody calm down!' Tonks tried to shout over our noise. When that failed she took out her wand and pointed it to the ceiling, a high pitched screech came from the end making everyone stop there shouts.

She stopped the noise when everyone had regained control of their voices.

'Right, now the exact rules of the Law are in the letters and so are your matches, I suggest reading them in private, it's a massive thing for you all to face,' she sounded incredibly sympathetic for us all. Luckily for Tonks, she and Lupin had married not long after the defeat of Voldemort meaning she didn't have to be paired up.

'I need to return back to the Ministry to hand out more letters but everything you need to know is in the letters- why, who, when. Good luck, guys,' and with that Tonks apparated out of the Burrow.

* * *

I looked up from the envelope I had been staring at for the last five minutes to see the rest of the Weasley's and Harry were all doing the same.

They all seemed so angry they couldn't even speak.

I, surprising even myself, was the first to break the silence after Tonks had left.

'I guess we should go and read our letters and then regroup later to see who everyone has got,'

A few mummers followed my suggestion and soon we all separated.

Molly and Arthur stayed in the kitchen, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ron and Ginny all headed to their rooms and oddly the twins decided to split up to read their letters, so George headed to his bedroom leaving Harry, Fred and I to find somewhere private.

Harry headed to the bathroom on the third floor and to my astonishment Fred and I seemed to have the same idea as we both headed out of the back door into the beautiful garden of the Burrow.

He turned to me and laughed, something that sounded foreign given the circumstances.

'Are you that desperate for your husband to me that you've decided to follow me Granger?' he asked cheekily as we started for the lake at the bottom of the garden.

I almost snorted, the idea was preposterous.

'Of course not, I was merely heading to the lake- if I get a bad partner then at least I can find some sort of serenity at the lake, what about you? Where are you going?' I asked as we wandered closer to the waters edge.

Fred eyed me curiously as he pointed to the trees to the side of the lake.

'Well I was going to come to the lake for the same reason as you but I guess I will be a gentleman and head into the woods instead,'

I smiled bashfully as I apologised for taking his 'spot'.

'No problem Granger, good luck,' he smiled softly as I watched his figure fade into the trees.

* * *

I had been sitting on the edge of the lake for nearly ten minutes now staring at my still unopened envelope.

If looks could kill the envelope would have burst into flames by now.

I was furious. Sitting at the lake had made me think, how dare the ministry _force_ us to marry? Why on earth would they need so many people to marry? The only reason they had created Marriage Laws in the past was because they felt the Wizarding World was in danger of extinction. And we had a perfectly good amount of healthy wiz- and then it hit me.

I tore at the envelope as I remembered all of the Wizarding Population facts I had learnt in my last year.

What was it Professor McGonagall had told us?

_For every magical birth nowadays, at least 3 squibs are born. At this rate magical abilities may become non existent. _

I opened my letter like a crazed woman and began to read.

_Dear Ms Hermione Jean Granger,_

_A new Wizarding Marriage Law has been created. Every witch and wizard between the ages of 16 and 35 are to be legally wed before September 1__st__ of this year. Your chosen husband's file has been attached to the bottom of this letter. Once you have finished reading simply state your name, age and current living situation whilst holding you wand to the parchment._

_You will have exactly three months to contact your chosen husband and to legalise your marriage. Any issues must be taken through Wizarding court._

_Now you have all of the details Ms Granger, you must be wondering why the Ministry of Magic has decided upon a Marriage Law. The truth is we fear the Wizarding Population is in danger of becoming extinct. A triple percent increase in the number of squib births means that if citizens with Magical abilities continue to mate with Muggles at the current rate, in ten years we could be facing the biggest drop in magical births since time began._

_With our new law, you have been paired up with another wizard who we believe will help you to produce healthy magical children in years to come. As an extra precaution, our new law states you must have at least 2 children in the next five years if you are physically capable of doing so._

_The exact conditions of the Law can be found attached to this letter._

_The Ministry of Magic thanks you for your co-operation, _

_Cornelius Fudge II,_

_The Minister of Magic._

As I finished the letter my blood positively boiled.

Not only were they forcing us to marry to 'save the wizarding population' but I was expected to have TWO CHILDREN before the age of 23 as well. The Ministry have gone absolutely crazy if they think this could possibly work!

I decided to skim over the exact conditions of the Law to see if there were any loop holes stated. I knew it was feeble, if there were to be loop holes they wouldn't be printed on the back of the initial agreement, I'd have to dig a little deeper.

Putting my anger aside, I anxiously found the letter with my future husbands file attached. I pulled out my wand and pointed it as steadily as I could at the blank paper.

I closed my eyes and breathed out the required information.

'Hermione Jean Granger, aged 18, currently situated at the Burrow,'

As I felt the paper heat up, I opened my eyes.

Taking a deep breath I looked towards the paper to see the file of one Mr Draco Malfoy glaring back at me.

I needed to find that loop hole. FAST.

* * *

**:)**

**WOOOO! My first chapter is finally finished ;)**

**I really hope you guys liked it, PLEASE REVIEW if you did because I don't want to continue with a story if you guys don't like it…I'm not silly like that.**

**Anyway, please give me any feedback you can- good or bad.**

**Love,**

**SophieSolemnlySwears.**


	2. Getting Down on One Knee

**Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews!**

**I'm glad you guys have liked the idea for this story and I shall happily continue if you guys continue to be so supportive :)**

**Anyway, my chapters are definitely getting longer as my stories go on…I hope that's a good thing.**

* * *

**Chapter 2-**

I calmly placed the file back into the envelope without as much as a second glance.

My mind was already set. There was absolutely no way on earth I was ever going to marry Draco Malfoy, let alone have children with him.

I needed to research everything and anything I could about marriage laws, if there was one thing that I learnt throughout my time at Hogwarts it was that every law _has _to have some sort of catch- a loop hole.

And I was going to do everything in my power to find this one.

As I stood from the edge of the lake I heard an obscene curse come from deep in the woods. On instinct I reached for my wand- after fighting in a war at the tender age of sixteen, those kind of noises never quite leave you.

I stood stock still and waited for the person to emerge. When I saw the familiar mess of red hair storm out from between the trees, I remembered that it was Fred who had ventured into the woods to read his letter and find out who the future Mrs. Fred Weasley would be.

Judging by the cuss worthy of a sailor and the storming pace at which he was walking, Fred's partner was just as bad as mine.

He barged past me without even noticing I was there. I was shocked to say the least; I had never seen Fred _that_ angry in all of the years I had known him. Obviously I had seen him get angry at teachers like the loathsome Umbridge and on occasion at his mother if she took away any of the Twins' joke products but even then the anger had been calmed by a few choice words from George or a good revenge prank or two- never had he looked so enraged.

Deciding I couldn't let him charge into the house like that, I picked up my pace and began to jog behind him.

'Fred!' I called, 'Wait, who did you get?'

I knew it would probably add fuel to the fire but I needed to know who had got him so riled up in the first place.

'No one of_ any _importance Hermione!' he called back bitterly, not even bothering to look back.

Trying to think of a way to coax him into answering, I decided that being bequeathed to Draco couldn't possibly be any worse than whoever Fred was due to marry so if I told him of my fate maybe he would see he wasn't the only one in this Godric forsaken situation.

'If it makes you feel any better, I'm supposed to marry Draco,'

I watched as he stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to face me with a look of pure disbelief spread across his usually cheery face.

'Malfoy? Huh, looks like I'm not the only one expected to marry a slimy Slytherin after all,' his voice had dropped the maliciousness it possessed only moments ago but a coldness was still hanging on to the end of his sentence.

I jogged up to where he was currently waiting and we began to walk back up to the Burrow side by side.

'So who's the lucky future Mrs. Fred Weasley?' I asked once we'd fallen in a comfortable silence.

Fred paused for a second before sighing, 'Your new fiancée's ex-girlfriend,'

I gasped, 'You don't mean?' I asked hoping it wasn't true.

He looked solemnly at me before nodding his head, 'Sadly yes Granger, I do,'

With no more comforting words springing to mind, we both fell back into a pensive silence as we walked the remaining distance to the Burrow.

* * *

'Right,' Mrs. Weasley began as the family started to regroup in the living room.

Looking around with a gut wrenching feeling, I noticed everyone seemed, well, happy.

With the exception of Fred and I, smiles seemed etched onto the faces of all of my friends. This only made me feel worse although my determination to find this loop hole was becoming stronger by the minute.

'Lets go around and see who you're future husbands or wives are going to be and how many children each of you will have to have,' Molly started again.

That had come as news to me. When I had read that part of the letter I had just assumed everybody must have two children, I didn't think it would vary depending on the couple.

Bill, being the eldest, was the first to tell us his arrangement.

'I will be marrying Fleur Delacour and we are expected to have two children,' as soon as the words left Bill's mouth smiles appeared on all faces around the room. Bill and Fleur had been dating for nearly three years; an engagement was bound to be on the cards soon anyway.

Next was Charlie who was meant to marry a girl named Grace who he had apparently gone to school with, they were to have 4 children and this was supposedly a good thing as Charlie remembered her as 'hot'. _Men._

Percy, who was quite clearly ecstatic with his partner, told us he would be marrying Penelope Clearwater and he was having three children with her.

Ron stood up next. My heart beat picked up as he began to speak. Even though there had never been any romantic feelings shared between Ron and I, I was still nervous to see who he would be marrying. We were best friends, it was only natural I wanted him to be with someone he liked.

'I will be marrying Luna Lovegood and I will be having 5 kids,'

I waited to gauge his reaction and he seemed happy. Luna was sweet and somehow I could see them making a quirky little couple.

I gave Ron a great big smile as George spoke up,

'I shall be joining Miss Katie Bell in the ceremony of holy matrimony and the lucky lady will be having 2 of my crazy kids,' George's declaration made smiles appear on all faces but one. Fred seemed to pale at the perfect match his twin had been given.

A few giggles were exchanged at George's match as we all knew he had had a thing for Katie ever since his fourth year- they were still very close friends so this was perfect for him.

As Ginny was sitting next to George, she went next. As she stood from the sofa I noticed a large grin on Harry's face and I could see where this was going. As happy as I was for the couple, noting how everybody had seemed to get the matches they wanted was making it harder to swallow that I'd have to spend hours trying to find a way out of this.

'I will be marrying Harry and we are going to have 3 children,' Ginny smiled warmly as Harry took her hand.

'That's wonderful dear!' Molly exclaimed as she spoke for the first time.

After the congratulations had been given to Harry and Ginny- a couple everyone was pleased to see together at last- I realised only two people hadn't told their news. Fred and myself.

Everyone turned to Fred and I saw him debating with himself about what he should do next. He paled slightly when George prompted him.

'Come on Freddie, I know whoever it is probably won't want to marry you but I'm sure they will get over it,' George was only joking with his twin but when he noticed the dejected look on Fred's face it was too late.

Fred stood and practically ran from the house. Among the shocked gasps and exclamations Molly could be heard telling him to come back, he ignored her- something that almost classed as a death sentence.

I knew what Fred was feeling. Caged, slightly hopeless and well, jealous.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous that everyone seemed to get their perfect match whilst I was stuck with Malfoy.

I shrugged the thought from my mind. I was _not_ marrying Draco. I _was_ going to find a way, any way, out of this.

And before I knew it, I was on my feet chasing Fred out of the door.

* * *

'Fred!' I shouted as I tried to catch up with him.

He flinched when he heard his name and as soon as he saw it was me, he stopped running.

I slowed down from my crazed sprint and settled next to him as I tried to regain my breath. _Merlin the boy could run_.

'I just don't get it Hermione! How does everyone get their girlfriend or life long crush and I get a Slytherin bitch who is more snobbish and slimy than anyone I know? It's not fair,' his voice at the end of the sentence cracked and I couldn't stop my heart from hurting. He sounded so defeated, something that was so totally out of character for Fred that I suddenly felt it was my duty to fix it.

'I know it's not fair but I refuse to think I will be marrying Malfoy and you don't need to marry Pansy Parkinson either,' my nose automatically scrunched up when I said her name, something I must just do out of habit.

Fred seemed to perk up when I said that. We had already run the length of the Weasley's Garden and were now just wandering through the trees around the lake. Surprisingly, no one else had come to look for us yet.

If I had seen say, Harry run after Fred, my confusion would have gone through the roof. It's not like Fred and I aren't friends it's just I can't remember a time, apart from earlier, where we had spoken just us two together. Surely me running after him would cause some kind of curiosity or confusion?

I was shaken from my thoughts as Fred asked, 'And why _don't_ I need to marry Pansy?'

Remembering how upset and angry he had seemed earlier, I just couldn't stop the next words from tumbling from my mouth.

'I haven't found it yet but every law has some sort of chink in its armour, an exception, a loop hole. All I need to do now is to find it and we shouldn't have to marry Slytherins,'

Mischief began to sparkle in Fred's eyes as he simply stated, 'We,'

Confused, I raised an eyebrow, 'We?'

'You said all _you_ need to do know is find the catch, _we_ will do it together. I mean we're both in the same boat of absolutely loathing our fiancées and surely two sets of eyes will be better than one if we're looking for the exception,'

I smiled my first real smile since this morning as I agreed to Fred's idea. Having a renowned prankster helping will be perfect if we have to do anything sneaky- I haven't been known as the most devious girl in the world after all.

Fred seemed to have got his fighting spirit back after I had told him of the unknown loop hole. So much so his next idea probably should have seen crazy but we were desperate.

'Let's go to Diagon Alley, they're bound to have a book or two on magical laws,'

I stopped walking at looked at him, 'What, now? I'm in my pyjamas!'

He laughed as I flapped my arms up and down my body indicating my lovely purple and blue pyjama bottoms and hoodie.

'I can fix that,' and before I could complain or question Fred had pulled out his wand from the waist band of his boxers and changed my clothes into a pair of skinny jeans and a nice knitted jumper, perfect for spring.

He then turned his wand on himself and his clothes changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and a dark blue t-shirt. The t-shirt clung to his stomach and I couldn't stop my eyes from travelling around his chest. He was incredibly toned from what I could see.

'See something you like Granger?' he smirked as I felt the bush creep onto my cheeks.

He placed his wand back so it was balanced between his stomach and boxers. I couldn't help myself from cringing a little at where he kept his wand.

Obviously, my discomfort was detectable.

'What? I can't carry it around in my hand everywhere and I'd look a little odd with a hand bag so my boxers are the next best place,' I laughed and shrugged it off with a causal 'just don't ever make me hold it,' which caused a laugh from the red head.

'Shall we get going then Granger? We have a lot of reading to do if we don't want to end up married to our green slithery friends,'

I nodded my head and grabbed Fred's offered arm. I felt the pull behind my navel that signalled we had apperated.

Then next thing I knew we were standing on the cobbled street of Diagon Alley.

* * *

Fred pulled my arm into Flourish and Blotts and I nearly laughed. Never did I ever think _Fred Weasley_ would be pulling _me_ into a bookshop.

'Won't people realize we're not at the Burrow?' I queried more to myself than to Fred as we walked down some of the hundreds of isle that made up my favourite shop.

He simply shrugged before replying, 'I should hope they do otherwise I have a family of buffoons,'

We stopped when we reached the section on Magical Laws and Contracts. There was a small table at the end of the row with a lamp and book stand perched on top. Perfect was the first thought that came to mind.

Fred seemed just as determined as me when it came to finding a way out of this stupid Marriage Law. As I selected large tomes from the shelves, Fred began reading with abandon.

I had found nearly a hundred books regarding anything from Marriage Laws to The Ministry itself in the first hour of searching and Fred had probably read enough on Magical Law to become a lawyer himself.

As the morning rolled on we began to lose hope.

It wasn't until we had been searching for nearly three hours when we finally found exactly what we had been looking for.

'Hermione! Hermione, come look at this!'

I stepped down from the ladder I had been using to scale the higher shelves and ran down to the table where Fred had been scanning all of the books.

The thick red tome was called _MARRIAGES THROUGH THE AGES; WHEN TIMES CHANGED _and was all about the old marriage laws. The second to last chapter however was about what would happen with future marriage laws and how they can be changed.

The specific passage Fred was pointing to was large and I began to read, a giant grin on my expectant face.

As my eyes scanned the page, I began to absorb the information.

'_When the latest marriage law was created in the Wizarding World after the Battle of Gary the Gruesome several exceptions were made to ensure that couples of magical blood who were already in a relationship were allowed to marry. Instead of marrying the witch or wizard that had been chosen by the Ministry of Magic, if said couples could prove they were in a real relationship by passing a test all about their partner they were granted the permission to marry their chosen witch or wizard._

_However after many witches and wizards decided to fake relationships, the Ministry added another precaution to the procedure of deciding who could testify against their Ministry chosen partner. If a witch or wizard wanted to change their fiancée they would not only have to pass the marriage test but they would need to supply ten people who were ready to prove the authenticity of the new relationship. Many who had been questioned said the Wizards who worked in the Department of Magical Marriages and Adoptions were very precise with their questioning, it was not an easy feet tricking the questioners._

_A sub law was then created after the first marriage law was passed and it states that if any Marriage Law is to be passed by the Ministry of Magic, couples where both people are of magical ability are allowed to change their fiancée if they can pass a Marriage Law Test with a 75% match rate. The couples must also prove their relationships sincerity with ten other people of magical decent to give evidence if questioned._

_The sub law was passed by Minister Radulfius Waggtail in 1713. It is still in the GREAT BOOK OF MAGICAL LAWS under section 389, page 206, line 24.'_

I finished reading the passage and sighed. Why Fred had chosen this to show me I had no idea. Sure it was a loop hole but we couldn't do it, I didn't have a significant other and as far as I knew neither did Fred.

'Fred, that's great but we can't use it to get out of the Marriage Law,' I uttered as I began to look through another book.

He looked completely baffled as I turned down his idea. I had no idea why he thought we could use that sub law to change anything.

'Of course we can! Why couldn't we?' he exclaimed as I sighed and put the tome down.

'Well I'm sure it will come as no surprise but I don't _have_ a boyfriend who I can marry instead, so it looks like we will have to keep looking,' my eyes dropped back to the books in front of me as I heard Fred laugh.

'For such a smart witch, you're really missing my point here,'

I raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue. I had no idea where he was going with this ancient sub law but if he wasn't going to stop bringing it up I may as well listen.

'You don't need a boyfriend, you can marry me,'

I almost choked on the air as I turned to look at his beaming face. I must have had a look of pure horror and amusement on my face at that moment, I'm sure it wasn't my finest moment.

'You can't honestly be serious?!' I snorted when he stood up so he was completely facing me. I had never noticed his height before now, but with his gangly figure looming over me I noticed how much height he had on me.

'What's so wrong with the idea? It's perfect if you ask me! You hate Malfoy; I hate Pansy and seeing as there is no one else to marry if we pretend we're a couple and pass this test then we can marry each other instead. Come Hermione, you _know _it's our best shot,' he pleaded as he put a large hand on my shoulder.

I was stunned. If Fred and I pretended to be a couple we would have to learn everything about each other, we'd have to convince our families that we were 'oh so in love' and we'd have to convince the Ministry too.

'There's no way its going to work, how are people going to believe we're together, I mean come Fred, its not like we're best friends or anything!' I was flapping my hands around now, just trying to get across how absurd this idea was.

'Think about it Hermione. We think of a back story to our relationship- some crap about keeping it on the down low- we hold hands in public, we hug, we learn all we can about the other and we pass the test. If we're good we can fool our families into believing it too. Come on 'Mione what other choice do we have?'

I was starting to loose my resolve. Fred's pleading eyes and comforting hand on my shoulder weren't helping my decision at all.

We had been searching for hours. This was the best we had come up with. If we pretended to be a couple I wouldn't have to marry Draco Malfoy. If we pretended to go out Fred wouldn't have to marry Pansy Parkinson. It was a win win situation for all of us.

With the deadline of September 1st in mind, I decided Fred was right. This really was our _only _option.

'Do you really think we could pull it off?' I whispered as doubt started to cross my mind for what was to no doubt be the first of many times.

Fred smiled supportively, 'Of course we can, the Ministry won't be hard to fool if we learn everything about each other and we have three months to do that so the test should be a piece of cake, trust me Hermione,'

And somehow I felt myself doing just that.

'Well, are you going to ask me then?' I asked after I took a deep breath to calm my over active mind.

Fred looked confused as he shook his head slightly, 'Ask you what?'

'To marry you of course! Just because this is a fake relationship doesn't mean you can skip out asking me, I'm only going to get one shot at this if our plan works- it needs to be right,' I smirked as realisation started to take over Fred's features.

'Blimey Hermione, we've only been going out what, 30 seconds and you're already ordering me around,' he gave an easy laugh which sounded so natural. It comforted me somewhat; I was starting to feel that even with my doubts this may just work.

'So come on, don't keep a girl waiting Weasley,' I teased back. It was so easy to fall into a conversation with Fred and I found the jokes just kept flowing as we both got our head around the situation.

Finally realising he would have to ask me properly, Fred bent down onto one knee.

He grasped my hand and I couldn't help the nervous chuckle that escaped my lips. It may have been fake but hey, I'm allowed my moment.

'Will you Hermione Jean Granger, do me the greatest pleasure of marrying me?'

I laughed before replying with a high, 'Why of course,'

'Excellent,' was the reply I received before Fred stood up and engulfed me in a warm hug.

Merlin, we really were doing this weren't we.

* * *

**:)**

**I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING!**

**The reviews I received on the first chapter really made me smile, I love to know what you guys think :)**

**Oh and I promise we can start to get into the good stuff now that they have decided to go ahead with the sub law Marriage Test.**

** Mayhem awaits.**

**Love, SophieSolemnlySwears**


	3. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes

**Hello lovely reader!**

**I am incredibly sorry this has taken so long to put up but hopefully you guys will enjoy it anyway. I have a small note for you all at the end of this chapter but don't fret, it's not bad!**

**Anyway, please enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW.**

* * *

**Chapter 3-**

Fred and I purchased the copy of '_MARRIAGES THROUGH THE AGES; WHEN TIMES CHANGED'_ and headed back out of the shop and into the crisp air of Diagon Alley.

The street was surprisingly empty for an early Saturday. There was nobody at all in Quality Quidditch Supplies, which was something Fred seemed utterly horrified by.

In fact as we made our way further up the cobbled lane of shops- I noticed that we were the only people here.

'Where_ is_ everybody?' Fred asked and I found myself almost surprised it didn't echo throughout the deserted street.

'I have no clue but it's quite creepy don't you think?' I replied as Fred and I wandered to no where in particular.

'Oh on the contrary dear Hermione! Just think, when are you ever going to be alone in Diagon Alley in the middle of the day again? This is a rare occurrence, so enjoy it whilst you can is what I say,'

I realised Fred was right. I shouldn't question that this was quite frankly scary or odd, I should just enjoy the quiet moment- live a little I suppose.

And then I realised something else. You may even say that I had an epiphany in the middle of Diagon Alley.

Fred and I were complete opposites. He was a 'glass half full' kind of person whereas I was most definitely 'a glass half empty' kind of girl. I was realistic, I strived on knowledge and facts- he was optimistic, he strived on creativity and fun. There was no way people would believe we were a couple.

The longer I thought about it, the more hysteric I got.

How on earth were we supposed to persuade everyone that we were together and had been for a long time if we were the polar opposites of each other? What if Draco and Pansy didn't agree to swap partners? What if we couldn't find ten people to testify for us? Needless to say, I was begging to panic and we'd only agreed to this 'deal' around ten minutes ago.

In hindsight, rash decisions were never really my speciality.

'Hermione, you hungry?'

After my miniature panic attack, I began to calm back down as I looked up to Fred's smiling face.

He had this almost unnerving calmness about him and it immediately reassured me that we _could_ do this. That was one thing that I found amazing about Fred, even before this whole Marriage Law he still managed to keep a constant level head. Even when faced with serious danger, like during the war when he was nearly killed or when just pulling a risky prank back at Hogwarts he never seemed to lose his head or panic and I found that very admirable.

Calm and collected was something I had always strived to be. Sure I had helped Harry fight Voldemort several times and afterwards I was always congratulated for my ability to keep a 'strong head at times like these' but in reality I was always an anxious wreck.

I mean, I did have reasons to be. I remember the times I had stayed awake all night worrying about the future of my friends and family and I remember just how terrifying it was to see Voldemort for the first time. My knowledge had created a mask for my panic which merely gave the illusion of calmness.

Fred on the other hand, never seemed to have the inner battles to control his panic or worry, he always seemed so content and happy and for that, my admiration for him began to grow slightly. It was hard to keep smiling through a war after all.

Remembering that I had yet to answer his question, I nodded.

'Yes! Seeing as we didn't get breakfast this morning, I feel a large lunch is in order,' I gave Fred a small smile as I pushed my concerns to the back of my brain- they could wait until later.

'Well we have two options, Madam Puddifoot's-' Fred made a disgusted face at that choice before continuing '-or we could go back to the shop and fix something up in the flat,'

Tallying up the options I decided that going back to the shop was probably a better idea. Madam Puddifoot's was lovely but a little too 'cuddly' for my tastes. And plus, I had yet to see the Twins' new flat above Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and seeing as Fred and I were 'engaged' it would make sense to visit the place he called home.

'The flat sounds perfect and it gives us the opportunity to get our story straight before we head back to the Burrow. The shop isn't open today right?'

Fred shook his head, 'We closed it because Mum said we'd need to be at the Burrow early this morning for the news- we were thinking about opening back up at three but I don't think we will bother seeing how empty the place is, no point really,'

I made a small noise of agreement before we both fell back into the comfortable silence. I was glad Fred and I could happily fall into the quietness as we both had plenty to think about- this Marriage Law was going to change our entire lives and the reality of that had only just hit me.

* * *

We soon reached the purple and orange building of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. As Fred grabbed his key from his pocket, I smiled at the fact he wasn't using his wand to unlock the shop. I'm sure the twins had hundreds of security spells around the place so using a Muggle key seemed so… _normal_ and normal was something I craved at the moment.

Fred unlocked the door to the shop he and George had been running for the last year and a half. WWW was, much to the surprise of Molly and annoyance of Percy, quickly becoming one of the busiest and most profitable shops Diagon Alley had ever seen. And as I stepped inside, it was quite clear why.

'Home sweet home!' Fred called out to the empty shop as he closed the large orange door behind us.

'I swear this place gets bigger and brighter every time I come in here,' I mused in awe as I took in my surroundings.

'Ahh, well that's the beauty of having a joke shop- you don't have to worry about a colour scheme,' Fred smirked as he wandered towards a door near the till station.

'Feel free to look around for a minute or two; I just have to check something in the back room,'

'Alright,' I replied rather airily as my gaze lifted to the impossibly high ceiling.

Now I was no stranger to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes but I must admit it had been too long since I had last stopped by to see the Twins. And it seemed they had jumped at the chance to change the place around.

There had to be nearly three dozen enlargement charms on the place. From the outside it looked fairly large but on the inside it seemed to go on forever- isles upon isles of joke products and silly things parents are probably forced to buy for their mischievous children.

Just as I began to drift down the isle marked '_things to give to people you hate_' Fred emerged from the Back room.

'We're all good, ready for lunch now? I could eat a hippogriff,'

I laughed before following Fred back through the door he had just come from. Inside the room were several old lab benches, much like the potions rooms at Hogwarts. There were also lots of shelves holding things from potion ingredients to test products that were quite clearly still in the early stages of completion.

'This is basically where I spend most of my time- if I'm honest it's a miracle I still see daylight,' Fred joked as I chuckled heartily.

'I can see why though, this room is incredible,' I ran my finger around the rim of a cauldron that had been left on the table.

'Well if you think this is impressive wait until you see the flat,' Fred gave me a very cheeky smile and I must admit it made my cheeks turn a rather unflattering shade of crimson.

Hopefully he didn't notice.

He winked, a sure sign he had in fact noticed my blush, before strolling over to a bookshelf in the corner of their lab.

Curious as to what in Merlin's beard he was doing, I trailed behind him.

The bookshelf was nothing special as far as I could tell. It was simply the home of a few large potions books that I was nearly certain I had already read.

'Prepare to be amazed dear Mione,'

Just as I was about to roll my eyes at Fred's boasting something amazing did in fact start to happen. Fred had tapped a pattern on the books with his wand and whispered something I couldn't quite make out and soon the books started to rearrange themselves on the shelves.

The book shelf moved to the left, revelling a large empty space. As I glanced up I saw a small platform with a door a couple of feet up.

'And how are we supposed to get up there?' I asked sceptically as Fred just beamed at the bookshelf.

'Be patient; give it a few more seconds,'

And I did. Seconds after the words had left Fred's mouth, the books began to move from the shelf and stack on top of each other in the space below the platform.

After about a minute of books floating into position- I finally saw the genius behind this charm. The books had moved themselves into a floating staircase with each set of books a few inches above the next. It led perfectly up to the platform with the door.

'That…that was spectacular Fred! Did you make the charm yourself?' I asked as I began to marvel the bottom step that was extremely sturdy despite the fact it wasn't attached to the ground.

'Yeah, there were a lot of painful tests, lots of them involved stairs that simply vanished as you stepped on them but we finally got it right about a month ago when we built the flat, good thing really otherwise we would have had to apperate in every time,'

'And this way is much, _much_ better, you need to show me how you did it sometime,' I grinned as we tentatively stepped onto the first lot of books. I laughed with relief when we stayed in the same place instead of hurtling to the floor like I had been expecting.

'I also need to show you the code too,' Fred stated as we climbed the books.

I stopped when I reached the platform and turned to look at him questionably. I raised an eyebrow as I queried, 'Why would I need to know the code?'

Fred laughed and shook his head, 'Honey, if you haven't forgotten we _are _engaged now- won't it look a little weird if you don't know how to get into my flat? All of my family and close friends do and had you stopped by once and while you would have too,' he put a hand to his face and pretended to wipe away fake tears.

'I'm sorry I haven't been to see you guys but you know, life's been busy since I left Hogwarts. And anyway you will probably become sick of the sight of me by the time we get through this Marriage Law,' I joked as Fred brightened up after his 'cry'.

'Probably but I'm sure the feeling will be mutual,'

'Hey!' I laughed as I gently shoved his arm.

'You're supposed to say, I will never get sick of you my amazing _fiancée, _not 'probably','

Fred chuckled and I joined in as he began to unlock his front door.

* * *

Fred and George's flat was the polar opposite of what I had been expecting.

Instead of being covered in loud, brash colours like orange or electric blue, the walls were painted a surprisingly subtle shake of duck egg. It was light and made the flats interior feel modern yet still homely, something I found extremely comforting as I walked further into the flat.

The whole place, minus the bedrooms and bathroom, was opened planned. On the left was a small but reasonable kitchen with creamy cupboards and light work tops. There was no door and the cabinets themselves created the shape of the kitchen. If you were to use one of the worktops you could still see and talk to everyone else in the flat.

Along the wall straight in front of me was a small rectangular table that could comfortably sit 2 people. The table was placed perfectly in my opinion as the window next to it had a breathtaking view of Diagon Alley.

Before waiting to be invited in, something which surprised even me, I walked over to the window and pulled back the cream curtain that was partially blocking my view.

The view was mesmerising to say the least. I could see everything from Eeylops Owl Emporium right up to the large structure of Gringotts. It had never really dawned on me just how tall this building was before.

After scanning the kitchen and dinning table I turned back towards the front door for the first time since entering. Fred was leaning casually against the doorframe with a small smile spread across his face. I suddenly felt my own face burn with embarrassment- I had just walked into his home with being invited and began to snoop around!

I glanced to the floor and back to his face.

'You know what they say, curiosity killed the cat and all that, I suppose,' I chuckled meekly as I hoped Fred didn't think I was rude for intruding. It was honestly not like me to be so…_bold_ when entering someone's home but the interior of Fred's flat was almost drawing me in and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see the inside of the notorious 'Weasley flat' I had heard so much about.

'No, go ahead. It's your home too now anyway,'

My face paled and Fred clearly noticed.

'Hermione, you are okay with this right? It's not too late to change your mind you know; it's completely up to you,'

I tried my hardest to smile but I'm pretty sure it came out as more of a grimace judging by the wincing look that covered Fred's features.

'No, I want to, I swear. It's just I don't think the realization of what we're doing has really sunk it yet, you know?'

Fred seemed to know what I was talking about and gave a sympathetic half smile followed by a shrug.

'Well, we have months to realize that this plan is completely bonkers so I say we just enjoy it whilst we can, before it gets complicated,' Fred grinned as he finally stepped further into his flat.

'I suppose you're right, I'm sure we will see the consequences soon enough,' I joked.

There was an underlying sense of doubt laced in both our words- we may have seemed calm but I could tell Fred was probably feeling as worried as I was. If this went wrong, we would be severely punished and I was _not_ going to give up magic for anything.

I decided I would ponder the Marriage Law later, after Fred and I had talked through our supposed 'secret love'. I was also intrigued to see the rest of his flat.

'I don't suppose you could give me the grand tour?' I asked in an attempt to lighten the sullen mood that was slowly starting to take over.

'Why certainly Madame! Follow moi and I shall show you the greatest flat Diagon Alley has ever seen,'

I laughed as Fred hooked his arm through mine and began to drag me to a fairly large hallway on the right of the open room.

'Wow, that was a big statement there Fred, you have set yourself some high standards now,'

'None that I can't achieve dear Mione,' he quipped as we walked past two sofas and a coffee table.

The area that housed the sofas was dropped slightly, meaning you had to go down three small steps before you were in the 'living room'. The soft cream sofas and coffee table matched perfectly with the walls and other soft furnishings around the room and the flat screen TV the twins had attached to the wall made the perfect space to relax.

I was slowly starting to look forward to staying here as the tour went on. The flat was sophisticated and the open space had been used extremely well, especially the lowered TV area. It was definitely a surprise that this had been created by the twins of all people.

'You have already seen the main room but down here is the best part of the place,' Fred's face was glowing as he took me down the hallway. There were three white doors in the hallway- one on the left, one on the right and the other straight ahead at the end.

'On the right is George's room, the one at the end is the bathroom and the left is my humble abode, but we will save that one for last,'

Fred opened the door to George's room and I couldn't stop the gasp that involuntarily left my mouth.

George's room was _huge_. Now the overall flat was incredibly large but for a bedroom this was almost ridiculous. What must have been a king sized bed was placed in the centre and covered in pillows in various shades of electric blue.

I found myself laughing slightly as I looked around. The bright colours that I had been expecting to find all over the flat seemed to have been cramped into this one room. The walls were still light like the living room but they were covered in posters and pictures that ranged in colour, anything from orange to neon green.

All along one side of the room were multiple white shelves and chests of drawers. On top of every surface were different knickknacks George had obviously collected over the years- quidditch scarves, beach shells and joke products. The assortment of items only doubled the burst of colour in his bedroom.

'Well he certainly has an eye for colour that's for sure,' I grinned as Fred and I stepped back into the hallway.

'Yeah, we decided that the front half of the flat would be calm so mum wouldn't moan every time she came over and then in the second half we could go as crazy as we wanted,'

I must admit, it was a rather clever plan. I could imagine the fit Molly would have had if the entire place had looked like George's room, so this way everyone was happy- the twins got their colour and Molly got her serenity and style.

'Down here's the bathroom, I hope you won't mind sharing with us by the way, when we built this place we didn't really think we'd have to share it so soon,'

'No I'm just glad your okay with letting me stay, I can't imagine where I'd have to go if I ended up marrying Malfoy,' I shuddered slightly at the thought of staying in Malfoy Manor, that was not somewhere I'd be hurrying back to anytime soon.

The bathroom was also incredibly large. You could see the twins had had lots of fun planning this flat as the place was huge and way too big for just two people. On the left side of the room a large shower area was next to the toilet. A large bath was on the opposite side of the room along side two sinks- one for each twin. The bathroom was definitely bigger than they needed but I suppose if they have the money to do it, then why not? And I had a feeling the design of the flat also had something to do with the fact this was the first time the twins were by themselves and could have as much space as they wanted- something which you could only ever dream of at the Burrow.

'You and George really went all out with the size didn't you?' I teased as we backed out of the bathroom.

'Well we had no size restrictions so we thought, hey why don't we just go for it? Plus its coming in pretty handy right now isn't it? Imagine how cramped we'd all be if there were three of us in a tiny little flat, this way we all have enough room to dance around at our pleasure,'

Before I could ask what on earth Fred was talking about he had already grabbed hold of my hands and began to move. He twirled me around and our laughter soon filled the flat.

'See Hermione? How could we possibly do this if the flat wasn't so big?' Fred sniggered as he continued to spin me around.

I was becoming slightly dizzy now, but I was laughing too hard to care. I attempted to answer Fred but I was starting to wheeze as I was laughing so violently. I gently hit Fred on the shoulder and he soon released my hands. I was incredibly grateful for that as my ribs were beginning to ache.

'O-okay,' I managed to squeeze out as my laughter began to die down, 'I suppose you couldn't do that in a small flat,'

'Exactly,' Fred smirked as he reached out and opened the final door.

'And now you have discovered why the flat is so big, let me show you the best room by far,'

I gazed past Fred's shoulder and into the room. If I thought George's room was crazy with colour, Fred's room was absolutely insane.

The king size bed was identical to George's apart from instead of electric blue cushions, Fred's was covered in bright orange ones. Posters covered the wall the head of the bed was lent against. The posters ranged from moving quidditch players to Muggle rock bands like the Rolling Stones and Nirvana. This shocked me somewhat, I hadn't known the twins were in to Muggle music.

Also on the same wall was a beautiful floor length window. Bright orange curtains hung down either side and stopped just short of the wooden floor. Fred's other walls were also covered in white shelves and chests of drawers, much like George's. Some had pictures of family and friends perched on top and others had quidditch trophies and the twins most prized joke products.

The room was filled with hundreds of colours and objects that I found strangely endearing. The twins' rooms were very personal to them; they really reflected their personalities which I loved. My room at my parent's house was very prim and proper, nothing like the room I was currently standing in.

'So what do you think? Will you survive staying here?' Fred asked from behind me.

I turned and gave him a very sly smile, something which I'm sure he wasn't expecting.

'I think I could get used to it,'

* * *

**:)**

**Well firstly I'm sorry it wasn't as interesting as I said it would be- I forgot I needed to establish the shop, flat and all that ;) But the next chapter is where things will really begin to pick up, promise!**

**And thank you so much to all of you guys who have been waiting patiently for this, it was lovely to read your reviews so please keep them coming.**

A SMALL NOTE TO EVERYONE READING

'_Fred Weasley in the World of Muggles'_-

**So if you have been reading my other Fanfic, fear not! I have not given up or abandoned it I've just been having a little bit of writers block so I thought I'd step away for a while until the ball began to roll again.**

**I am happy to say it will be updated before 10/4/13 at the very least.**

**I hope you guys won't hate me for that, and if you haven't checked it out yet please do! Your feedback is always welcome.**

**Mischief awaits,**

**SophieSolemnlySwears.**


	4. Plans are Crucial

**Hello!**

**I'm sorry for the wait but I'm back in the swing of things now that I have continued with **_**Fred Weasley in the World of Muggles**_** too (please check that out all of you Fremione lovers!)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Its more me just doing some final establishing of the law and their personality's together but please review to tell me if you loved/hated it. I really appreciate all of the feedback you amazing readers give.**

* * *

**Chapter 4- **

After wondering around Fred's flat, we finally decided it was time to eat- trying to get out of a marriage law was hungry work after all.

'We don't have much in at the moment but I make a mean chicken wrap if you're interested?'

Fred and I were scanning though the cupboards in the kitchen looking for a suitable lunch; so far all I had come across were several packs of biscuits and way too many tins of baked beans.

'Chicken wraps sound lovely but how do you intend to make them using-' I meekly lifted up the pack of chocolate digestives and Heinz baked beans '-this?' My eyebrow rose almost on its own accord as I quizzed Fred's choice of ingredients.

'Oh Hermione, I think you forget that I live on the biggest magical street in England; I'm sure it will take me less than three minutes to find all of the required items,'

My grin continued to grow as I noted the tone of challenge laced in Fred's words. For some reason Fred Weasley had managed to evoke my competitive side in no less than a few hours, something that was by no means a mean feat.

'I think that may have been a challenge there Mr. Weasley! You have three minutes to get all of the food-' I paused as Fred smirked and tried to think of a suitable punishment if Fred were to fail my mini task. Not too long after, it came to me. '- you have 3 minutes to get the food or you have to be the one to break the news of our engagement to everyone,'

I decided this bet was perfect- the odds were definitely in my favour, there was no way he could get all of the ingredients in _three minutes. _Plus if Fred were to lose I wouldn't be the one to drop this bombshell on the rest of my soon-to-be family.

Fred eyed my suspiciously for a moment before excitedly agreeing.

'You're on Granger,' he shook my hand to confirm it and before I could even shout _'go'_ Fred had already apparated from the building.

I drew my wand from my trousers (all of my clothes had a long, thin pocket made specifically for my wand) and using a spell I had not used since my fourth year, I conjured a 3 minute sand timer. I turned it and began to watch the green emeralds fall.

After watching for several seconds I placed the timer on the kitchen side and began to walk over to the sunken living area. Under the TV a small bookshelf housed all sorts of magical books- I even spotted a book entitled _'How to get a Witch on your Broom'. _I swiftly placed that one back as I'm pretty sure it _wasn't_ talking about Quidditch.

Slightly flushed from the _interesting_ choice of books, I turned my attention to the photo frames that were perched on top.

A picture of Fred and George at Ron's last birthday party was stood proudly at the front- completely identical faces with completely identical grins. Next to that was a small picture of the twins playing Quidditch at Hogwarts. The twins would fly up to the camera and swing their beaters bats before laughing and winking. It must have been taken during their fifth year as their once long hair had been cut short.

I laughed slightly at the next picture. Bill and Charlie were outside the Burrow smiling for what looked to be a nice family photo- that was until you looked up at the Burrow's mis-matched structure. Fred and George were leaning out of an upstairs window with a bucket of water. They grinned evilly before tipping the entire bucket onto their unsuspecting brothers below.

I looked towards the final photo and picked it up to get a better look. The picture had been taken right outside Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and I instantly recognised it as the official launch day. The photo had Fred and George in the foreground with all of the Weasley's plus harry and I in the background. I smiled fondly as I remembered that day, it had been a brilliantly-

'Did I do it?'

The shock of hearing Fred's voice made me drop the photo frame. It smashed into hundreds of tiny pieces all around my feet.

'Merlin Fred! Don't sneak up on me like that!' I huffed as I tried to calm my rapidly beating heart.

'Sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to startle you, honest,' the smirk on Fred's face however, said differently. 'So-' he elongated the 'o' before continuing, '- did I make it back before the three minutes?'

With a quick '_reparo_', I had the photo back in one piece and on top of the shelf again. I turned slowly towards the sand timer to see he had in fact made it back before the three minutes was up.

'Congratulations,' I sighed, 'I guess that means I'm the one who has to tell everyone about '_us_','

Fred placed his shopping bags in the kitchen, 'A deals a deal Hermione, although I suggest we decide what '_us_' is before we going shouting about it,'

I chuckled half-heartedly as I trailed into the kitchen area after him, 'I suppose that would make sense, see you do have a good idea or two,' I teased as I watched his retreating back collect the rest of his shopping.

'See? I'm not just a pretty face, eh? I've got the brains too,' Fred grinned as he began to prepare these _'famous chicken wraps'_.

'Uh, huh,' I smiled, 'I think I'll be the judge of that,' I quipped with one last glance before a load of lettuce was thrust into my hands followed by a knife and chopping board.

* * *

As I finished my last bite I found myself not only eating this delicious wrap but also a giant slice of humble pie. The wraps Fred had made were almost worth me losing out in our little bet; they were mouth-wateringly good. And Fred didn't hesitate to remind me of that little fact.

'So, care to share your thoughts on my cooking Hermione?'

Fred was beaming like a Cheshire cat and it made a light blush rise to my cheeks. He knew the wraps were good; the cheeky bastard just wanted my compliments.

'They were okay I suppose, I've had better,' I shrugged nonchalantly, hoping my lie was believable.

'Oh really? So that wasn't a small moan you made when you first took a bite?'

That set my cheeks of straight away. The one thing I have always hated is my blushing, it is triggered so easily I might as well just have permanent sunburn across my face and nobody would even notice the difference. Fred's witty comments were no exception.

'Oh put a sock in it Weasley,' I mumbled as I bashfully cleared the plates.

Fred's laughter floated through to the kitchen from the table and I turned away so he couldn't see my face through the open space all around the kitchen. I had loved the fact the kitchen was completely open planned earlier but it wasn't helping me so much now, my bright blush could be seen from the other side of the flat.

'I could get used to this,' Fred smiled from his seat. I didn't even need to see him to know he was commenting on the fact I was currently bent over scraping something in the bin. I shook my head with a small laugh.

'You are such a pig! You're meant to impress me right now, it's very early in our relationship after all,' I joked as I grabbed my wand and walked back to the table.

'I'll have you know I technically just brought you lunch,'

I rolled my eyes, 'Oh how very romantic- chicken wraps,'

Fred smiled as he held up both of his hands in defence, 'Hey! They just happened to be the best wraps you have ever had the pleasure to taste so I'd watch your tongue missy,'

We both fell into a comfortable laugh. I now realised why Fred had gained this huge reputation of being a joker; he was incredibly easy to laugh and talk to. I felt myself relax and loosen as our jokes and conversations went on. Suddenly, this whole idea didn't seem all that bad.

'So I guess, all jokes aside, we should get down to business right ?'

I flinched slightly at the name but I had to admit, I didn't sound half bad. _Mrs. Hermione Weasley. Mrs. Fred Weasley. Mrs. Hermione Jean Weasley. Mrs. H J Weasley. _They all had a nice ring to it.

Before I went into primary school mode and began to write my future name followed by hundreds of hearts, I grabbed my wand.

'Accio parchment!' A small pile of parchment floated down shortly after and landed on the table in front of me. With another quick spell, a quill and ink pot had also landed on the table top.

Fred gave me a quizzical glance as he raised an eyebrow.

'What? We need to establish all of the important dates and what we plan to do next,' I shrugged as I dipped the quill gently into the rich purple ink.

I delicately traced the paper with the tip of the quill; a bold title read '_our story; part 1_'.

'Blimey when people said you were organised Hermione, I never thought they meant _this _organised. I was assuming we would just make a bit of a back story and then wing it from there,'

I glared at Fred, my eyes showing my shock. How did he think this would work if there was no planning at all? What if we were questioned randomly or if someone in our family asked a question and we both answered differently? How would anyone believe that we were together?

'How did you expect to get through this with no _plan_? Come on Fred, I knew you were spontaneous but Merlin, doing something _this_ big with no plan is damn near suicidal!'

Fred seemed to ponder my rant for a moment before smiling, 'You're cute when you're angry,'

I was stunned to say the least. Where on earth had that come from and most importantly why was the message still not going through; we have got to plan even if it's the last thing we do.

'Well- umm, thanks I guess,' the blush came back, 'but anyway we better start,'

I was answered with a wink as my quill finally touched the parchment.

* * *

We had been sitting at the table for nearly 3 hours. My hand was hurting, Fred's hair was messy from the amount of times he had run his fingers through it and I had 6 sheets of parchment completely full to the brim of cursive wrapped by my feet.

'So, we have got our back story nailed,' Fred smiled tiredly as his fingers combed back through his hair. As it took in his worn eyes I remembered it had been an incredibly long day for us both; first the letters, then the law searching and now our plan of action. Merlin knows we will sleep well tonight.

'How about we do quick fire questions? You know to practise for when we tell our family,' we had decided to only worry about our initial back story for the families and friends for the moment, when the testing by the Ministry came around we would add more specific details in to make it more believable.

'Right, so when did we meet?' Fred asked as he grabbed the first sheet of parchment with several of the answers.

This was easy because it was one of the questions we had conjured up that had a generally true answer. We had decided together that where possible we would be truthful, otherwise there would be way too much to remember.

'My first day of Hogwarts where you and George introduced yourself as Ron's older, _and better_, brothers,' I smiled as I reminisced in the memory.

'Correct, when did we start going out?'

A date I fondly remember popped straight into my head, the 20th of September- last year. After scanning through the last couple of months we decided that we would have to find an important event to cover up for our random relationship, we figured that the day of my birthday party- exactly the day after my actual birthday- would be perfect.

'The end of last year, on the 20th of September,'

'Oh yes, I remember it perfectly,' Fred joked as he placed his hand over his heart. I smirked.

'Well if you remember it so perfectly, why did we start going out? And don't give me your answer of '_Fred was just too awesomely handsome _not_ to go out with_' and tell me the answer we _both_ agreed on please,'

Fred faked hurt as he began to recite almost word for word the answer we had come up with what seemed like years ago.

'We had been talking a lot more leading up to your birthday, mainly because you had given me so many detentions during my last year of Hogwarts and then at your party we both got a little tipsy, it was legal don't worry, and we started dancing and then later on when everyone else had gone to bed, we talked. I told you that I really liked you and then you said you liked me back and we kissed. And well, then I asked you out and you said yes,'

I smiled at the story; it wasn't even too far from the truth. Before we had started talking about possible 'hook up' situations I had completely forgotten about my birthday party. Obviously Fred and I hadn't kissed or admitted our love for each other but we had talked a lot and danced, although rather drunkenly I seem to remember. But hey, it was my 18th birthday after all; there is nothing wrong with a few too many firewhiskeys.

'Perfect, just add a bit of feeling into your presentation and we should be all set for that question,' I added sarcastically as Fred scowled.

'Fine, why didn't we tell anyone about us then _honey_?' Fred bit back.

I smiled before putting on my best 'I'm-so-hopelessly-devoted' face.

'We started dating and we chose to keep it a secret for a while until I left Hogwarts, we didn't want anyone teasing me or badgering me because I was dating one of Hogwarts most notorious pranksters. We were going to tell everyone after Christmas but we figured with everyone finally happy without the threat of Voldemort we would just leave it for a little longer before we told everyone; we were going to do it a while ago but it just didn't feel right,'

Fred smiled proudly at our little anecdote, 'And why are we finally telling everyone now?'

'Because we were both paired up with our enemies for the marriage law and even though we haven't been going out that long, only around 8 months, we would still rather marry each other than Pansy Parkinson or Draco Malfoy,'

'I'm sure everyone will believe that one, and how do we plan on marrying each other if we aren't each others original partners?' Fred asked as he tapped his pen on the desk.

I had the surreal feeling of being on a quiz show, I had seen episodes of mastermind during my childhood and I couldn't shake this feeling of pressure no matter how hard I tried.

'We found a law that states if we can prove our relationship to the ministry they will let us swap, all we have to do is pass a test and talk to our original partners and we will be all set to marry just like everyone else who has been paired up,'

I let out a small breath; they were all of our main questions out of the way. We had chosen to just go with our own opinion for all of the questions like 'why did you go for Fred? Or what attracted you to each other?' we thought it would be more natural that way seeing as the rest of our answers couldn't look so rehearsed.

'Right,' I sighed as I shuffled our paper, 'We have done the important questions and we know how to answer the simple stuff- basically if you tell someone something big make sure you tell me after so our stories match, okay?'

I could feel my energy levels draining out of me and we still had to tell the Weasley family later tonight about our 'relationship'. After the questions we had created a check list so we had a fool proof way of securing this marriage law. They don't call me a Granger for nothing after all.

On one of the longer parchments I found our list and began to re-read it for what must have been the sixth time in the last hour alone. It read-

_TO DO-_

_Talk to Draco,_

_Talk to Pansy,_

_Get a test date from the Ministry,_

_Tell the Weasley's/ Harry,_

_Tell the Granger's_

_Find 10 people to testify for us,_

_Go for the actual marriage test,_

_Sort out living arrangements,_

_Get married._

It was all a big ask and finally written down on paper it did look a little daunting, I must admit. It almost felt like now we had our story established and we had a checklist for the upcoming months, all I needed was to say go and it was official.

'Blimey. This has just become a whole lot bigger now hasn't it?' Fred mumbled more to himself than me as his eyes also scanned the parchment.

I was a second away from replying when a small knock could be heard from the window. I turned my head and spotted a small owl, which I immediately recognised as Pig, Ron's owl.

Fred opened the window and stroked the owl softly before untying the letter attached to its leg. The letter was a deep scarlet and was shaking violently.

It was unquestionably a howler.

'_FREDERICK GIDEON WEASLEY!_

_WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN? YOUR FATHER HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR HOURS AND GEORGE CAN'T EVEN GET INTO THE FLAT! YOU BETTER NOT HAVE USED THAT STUPID LOCKING SPELL AGAIN OR I'M GOING TO COME AND KNOCK THAT BLOODY DOOR DOWN MYSELF. WE APPRECIATE YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE LIKED YOUR MATCH BUT THAT IS NO EXCUSE FOR JUST LEAVING WITHOUT A TRACE! WE ARE WORRIED AND I EXPECT YOU BACK AT THE BURROW AT 9'OCLOCK TONIGHT FOR A LATE DINNER- DON NOT BE LATE!_

_Oh and Hermione, dear- we'd appreciate if you could join us at the dinner tonight too.'_

As soon as the last word had burst into the air, the envelope that had been previously screaming at Fred exploded into hundreds of pieces. Fred had gone pale and I'm sure I mirrored his pasty complexion.

I may be eighteen years of age but a howler from Molly Weasley was enough to terrify anyone. I had one thought only after the remains of the howler had disappeared and that was quite simply enough to kick start this plan into action.

'_Go_'.

* * *

**:)**

**I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and if you did- PLEASE REVIEW!**

**I love to know what you guys think and the feedback you give is always absolutely amazing- it really makes my day :)**

**And as for the upcoming events in this story, Hermione's check list is quite clearly my basic plan outline. Obviously there will be more twists and turns but they are the major events you can look forward too.**

**Please review,**

**Love SophieSolemnlySwears**


	5. Our Own Morse Code

**I'm back! Finally! ;)**

**Anyway sorry for the wait (I feel that I start every chapter with that line) but I had a lot of crap to get through. **

**And I also had the emotional turmoil of reading John Green's '**_The Fault in our Stars_**'.**

**What a horrible crying mess that book made me.**

**I guess these last few weeks you could say that my thoughts were **_stars I couldn't quite fathom into constellations _**;)**

**Anywwaaay, I hope you guys enjoy and please review to tell me what you thought. I don't care how long or even nice it is, I just like some feedback.**

**And a big thank you to all of you guys who have already reviewed, favourited or followed this story- it means an awful lot.**

**Right, I shall let you get on…**

* * *

**Chapter 5-**

I was standing in the bathroom in Fred's flat trying desperately to calm my hair and flushed cheeks.

After the howler we had so pleasantly received around three hours ago, Fred and I decided to leave the questions until after the dinner. We didn't have long to prepare for the real questioning and we felt the more natural the answers were, the better. We didn't want the first thing we told the Weasley family about 'our relationship' to be so rehearsed it looked like it came from bad muggle school play.

'Uhh, Hermione?' Fred asked cautiously through the white wood door. 'We should probably leave soon, mum is angry enough as it is and trust me, you _don't _want to be the one to push that woman over the line,'

I gave a small smile to the mirror before I unlocked the bathroom door. My hair was still a mess from having run my hands through it so much earlier and I doubted the colour of my cheeks had changed dramatically in the last few minutes anyway.

'I'm ready,' I breathed back anxiously. Well, I was as ready as I could be for something like this, I thought as Fred reached out to touch my arm.

Fred gave my arm a comforting squeeze and before I could help it, I flinched. I cursed myself before giving him an apologetic grin. I needed to get control over my movements soon, if anyone at the Burrow noticed me flinching around my 'soon-to-be-husband' then the whole plan would be ruined. I'm meant to be comfortable around Fred, not jumping out of my skin every time we so much as brush arms.

'You _sure_ you're ready to do this?' Fred asked again. 'Not just, _I-think-it-might-work_ kind of sure but 100% sure you are ready to commit to this? I don't want to push you into this Hermione,'

Again, I felt my self relax at Fred's smooth tone. He constantly asked for my approval and as much as it grated on my nerves that he wouldn't just believe me the first time, I still found it oddly endearing. He truly _cared _whether I was happy with the situation.

In all honesty, I probably wasn't. But then again, who would be happy if they were being forced to marry someone by their own _government_? I wasn't however at all unhappy with the decision we, as in only Fred and I, had chosen to make about marrying each other.

I probably would have been happier if we hadn't been forced into making this decision in the first place but right now Fred was my only hope.

And I was kind of glad that it was him and not someone else.

* * *

We stood in the living room staring nervously at each other. It was beginning to get dark outside as 9'oclock rolled around. I shrugged at Fred in a 'let's do this' kind of manner as he raised both his eyebrows in a stupidly suggestive way.

I laughed before sucking in my cheeks like a fish.

That one went down a storm and it was then that I remembered why I stopped doing that in front of people. It was definitely not the most attractive face I've ever pulled but at least it helped us break the tension that had been bubbling ever since that dreaded howler had arrived.

Fred bulged his eyes comically and stuck his front teeth out like a rabbit. He too, wasn't looking his best at that moment but I was so caught up in the stupid faces and laughter that I suddenly didn't care what I looked like. That was something frighteningly knew for me.

Usually, my guard was always up. I very rarely slipped and if it did it was only in front of say harry, Ron or Ginny. Only the people I felt entirely comfortable in front of. I guess I was warming to Fred a lot quicker than normal as I pulled another silly face that involved me pulling out my ears to an abnormal length.

'Alright as much as I want to stand here and just pull stupid faces with you all night,' Fred smiled between little bursts of laughter. 'I really think we should get going,'

'I suppose so, but just remember-' I poked his firm chest. 'I will never, ever as long as I live forget that face you pulled with the eyes,'

He grinned and pulled the face once more. As I was laughing heartily at the strangeness of not just the faces but the entire situation, Fred grabbed my arm again.

This time I didn't even have enough time to flinch as his strong grip encased my arm as we were already tumbling through the air to the Burrow.

* * *

Fred had apperated us just to the bottom of the Weasley's garden, right by the lake were we had both tried to read our letters earlier that day.

Merlin, that felt like a life time ago.

'I know I keep asking but, you ready?' Fred asked as he started to walk up to the Burrow's back entrance.

I gulped, took a deep breath and nodded. It was almost like my body had decided to save its voice for the hundreds of questions we would no doubt be bombarded with during the dinner, so I kept quiet.

We walked silently with Fred just a couple of steps in front. It was now that I began to notice the chilled breeze that was billowing in the air. I was still dressed in the same clothes as earlier but now they didn't quite feel thick enough for a breezy spring night.

Fred stopped just short of the door and called for me. I sped up and as I reached his side, he held out his hand.

I stared at it as if it was going to bite my head off and I'm sure that if I had had some sort of out of body experience at that moment I would be laughing stupidly at the bizarre expression now lining my face.

'Come on, I'm not going to throttle you or anything. I'm just trying to kick-start _Operation Fremione_,'

I now moved my confused stare from his hand up to his face. He seemed calm and vaguely happy as I demanded to know what in Merlin's beard '_Operation Fremione_' was.

'It's the basically our plan for working out this whole marriage law and since your name is Hermione and mine is Fred, I took a part of each of them and made our couple name, Fremione. Its genius if you think about it,' Fred smirked as he raised his outstretched hand towards me again.

'You are absolutely mad, do you know that?' I chuckled as I shook my head slightly. 'Completely and utterly bonkers,'

He just gave me his Cheshire-cat grin and I tentatively reached for his hand. It was large and encased my smaller, more delicate ones nicely. I stood eerily still as I took in the sight of our hands together, with our fingers interlocked. This was our first real test and I nearly fell at the first hurdle.

Sometimes I think it might just be easier to do this without the hurdles in the first place.

* * *

We walked, _hand in hand_, into the Burrow's kitchen. It was completely empty until Ginny strolled in with a dish cloth in one hand and a saucer in the other.

She stopped abruptly when she saw us and her eyes went wide.

I had a brief flashback to several minutes prior, when Fred had pulled the same face. Unlike earlier however, I did little to calm my racing heart. I briefly felt Fred's hand tighten around my own and I squeezed back, like we had our own form of Morse code through the squeezing of hands.

I focused back on the only Weasley daughter and followed her eyes as they scanned us. They roamed from my face right down to our hands. When they reached them she seemed taken aback and shocked but that was to be expected. It was what she did next that surprised _me_ even more.

She began to beam before crossing the room at a rather quick pace. She opened her arms, dish cloth and saucer still in hand, and engulfed me in a hug. Fred quickly dropped my hand before giving me a startled look from over Ginny's shoulder.

'I can't believe you two got paired together! And to think when you guys both left we thought it was because you didn't like your partners!' Ginny all but squealed as stepped back from the hug. 'This means you will finally be a Weasley, Mione! We will be sisters, Merlin I can't believe _you two_ of all people were paired up,' she laughed breathlessly as I glanced to a paled Fred.

'Uhh, actually Gin, we uh didn't get-' Fred had started to try and correct Ginny but her shouts had started to draw attention to the kitchen and soon nearly all of the Weasley's had piled into the kitchen.

It was clear that none of them had left since receiving the news and they all looked rather happy with themselves despite the fact Fred and I had been missing nearly all day.

'Where have you guys been?' Bill asked as he and Fleur entered the kitchen.

Before either Fred or I could answer more questions were fired at us.

'Who are your partners?'

'Where have you been?'

'Why the bloody hell couldn't I get into our flat you bastard, I needed the toilet so desperately when I went looking for you,'

The last shout had clearly come from George, it was so loud it silenced the entire kitchen and also drew Molly and Arthur in to see what the commotion was all about.

As they entered the kitchen and noticed Fred and I standing meekly by the door, the anger became apparent on Molly's features. She glared at her 4th eldest son and as the rest of the family turned almost in complete synchronisation to look at them, Fred grabbed my hand.

He did another one of his reassuring squeezes; although this time I felt he needed it just as much as I did.

'Where,' Molly's voice was icy and bitter as she strode over to the both of us. 'On. Earth. Have. You. Been?' the last word came out more as a growl and I just wanted to leave and never look back. Like this Marriage law had never happened.

I felt my hand begin to tremble as I realised just how angry Molly had been by our disappearance. I supposed after living through two wars, when a child goes missing you automatically assume the worst.

'We went to Diagon Alley,' Fred bit back and surprisingly he seemed to be getting angrier too. 'Then we went back to the flat for some lunch, any problem with that _mother_?'

I winced at his spiteful tone and I'm sure the collective hiss that surfaced from the other Weasley meant they were just as shocked as I was.

Fred was never one to be controlled and he and George had constantly butted heads with their mother over the last few years. The Joke Shop seemed to be the cause of most of these arguments, so I couldn't quite figure out why he had suddenly got so annoyed by his mother's scolding. Of course I didn't let that show, even though more eyes were focused on Fred and Molly right now, I still had to make it _look_ like I knew Fred so well that I actually had a bloody clue what was wrong right now.

'Yes actually,' Molly's voice peaked at the same tone as Fred's. 'Especially when we have spoken about running off unexpectedly before _Frederick_,'

'I'm 20 years old, I can leave when I want to,' I squeezed his hand as I glanced to Ginny. She seemed to be shaking her head. From what I could deduce, there had obviously been an issue with Fred leaving unexpectedly before, when and why- I had no idea. I looked to the other Weasley's who seemed to be thinking the same thing as Ginny. Harry was the only one who looked just as confused as me.

Molly looked ready to explode. Despite their bitter tones, they hadn't actually made it to shouting yet. Arthur placed his hand on his wife's shoulder to stop her. It was then that he turned to us.

'Hermione dear, perhaps, uh you could explain why you both left this morning,'

I mentally cursed Mr Weasley in that moment. I knew he was trying to do his best to defuse the tension but asking me that question was not helping. I tried to string a sentence together as the eyes all turned to me. Well, except Fred who was still glaring at his mother.

'Well,' I squeaked, 'you see, we, well Fred and I, we read our partners earlier and we knew that-'

Fred cut me off.

'-we would have to come clean now if we had any chance of staying together,'

It took a second for that to sink in for most of the family. Most had bemused expressions as they turned to each other and whispered queries such as _'what? _and_' 'Staying together?!'_

'You see,' Fred continued. 'Hermione and I have been dating since her birthday party last year, the 20th of September to be exact and when-' Fred was again cut off by a chorus of _'WHAT?'_ and _'WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?'_

He held up his free hand to silence the roar of redheads and continued again.

'As I said, we have been dating in secret for nearly eight months and when we found out about this stupid Marriage Law we decided we would finally have to tell you guys and as we didn't get each other as partners we are going to apply to the ministry for an appeal, which is what we were researching when we ran off earlier. We know we haven't been dating for very long but I would much rather marry Hermione any day of the week over Pansy Parkinson, who was my ministry match.'

I knew the speech had been fake but Fred had conveyed the last sentence with so much sincerity I couldn't help but smile. I glanced again to the rest of the Weasley's who were still processing the information.

The first to break the silence was George.

He wasn't angry like I had expected him to be but instead he seemed heart achingly upset.

'Why, why didn't you _tell_ me?' he asked as he kept his gaze firmly on the floor.

Everyone knew the question was clearly directed towards Fred and I couldn't help the lump that formed in my throat.

I had come in between brothers, Twins, _Best friends_, with my silly little plan.

Of course they were all going to be upset- they think we have been lying to them for nearly eight months! And now, just to make my throat dryer, I realised we were _still _lying to them.

'George,' Fred's voice cracked as he looked at the hurt clearly displayed on George's face. 'George, believe me please, we, _I_ was going to, but I, I-'

'But what Fred?' George snapped. 'What happened to no secrets?'

I turned towards Fred, whose hand had gone rather limp. I took this as my opportunity to give him a comforting squeeze. Some how, I don't think it worked judging by how pale he had gone.

'George,' he pleaded one last time before George just shook his head.

'I'm going to go stay at Katie's, you know, the girl I _actually_ told you about?'

Fred seemed on the verge of tears as George apperated away.

They were twins who didn't do secrets. Everyone knew that.

Fred and George were practically the same brain sometimes. I would never say they were the same _person, _as no matter how similar they were, they still had their differences. But supposedly keeping something this big, this _long, _was not something they did. And it was clear that this was hurting Fred way too much for my now guilty conscience to handle.

'Look, we will explain everything after dinner. You can ask us anything you want and we will explain the inns and outs of the appeal and you can shout and curse as much as you like but its been one hell of a long day and quite frankly I just want to sit down in peace and I know I'm in no position to argue with any of you or to tell you what to do but I didn't expect to be marrying my _boyfriend _so soon and its been a bit of an adjustment, so please, _please_ can we eat first then scold later?'

I had started of my mini speech quite calm and collected but by the end of it I was panting from talking so fast and I could feel a pounding headache coming along.

I think it was clear that I was incredibly stressed right now and Ginny, Merlin bless her, finally decided to step in.

'As much as I am annoyed that they didn't tell us, I'm sure they had some ridiculous reason and like Hermione said, it's been a flippin' long day. I say we all eat and they can explain themselves after,'

The Weasley's, most of whom were still too shocked at Molly's outburst, George's departure and my news, all nodded and walked to the table.

I glanced at Fred who walked numbly behind them. He was staring without truly seeing and I was scared. Petrified even.

I could tell everyone was full to the brim with questions they were dying to ask but they all kept silent. No one said a word through out the entire dinner and I could only try and brace myself for the bombardment that was bound to happen as soon as the last plate was cleared.

I looked down at my plate and felt a pressure on my hand.

Through all of the shouting and fighting, I had forgotten Fred's hand still clung to mine under the table.

I gave it a squeeze, our own code to say that despite everything, we were okay.

* * *

**:)**

**There we go, quite a heavy chapter this one, eh?**

**And I know it's not my usual humorous (well at least I hope its funny) writing but that argument needed to take place so I hope it was okay :)**

**And don't worry! Next chapter the Weasley's will get the answers they are craving and we will find out why Molly had been so annoyed in the first place ;)**

**Anyway, please, please review if you liked/hated I love to know the thoughts of my readers. You guys make me smile so much.**

**Love always, **

**SophieSolemnlySwears.**


	6. Calling Me H

**Hey guys!**

**I'm finally back with an update, HOOOORAY.**

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter but, hey, I will let you decide that.**

**And as a small little note-**

**IF YOU HAVEN'Y READ THE '**_Divergent_**' SERIES YET, DROP WHAT YOU'RE DOING (unless your stroking a cute puppy or something, in which case don't go dropping it) AND GO READ.**

**It was so amazing and I can't be more excited for the final book to come out in October **_**(only 100 days, 8 hours, 42 minutes and 39 seconds to go!)**_

**Anyway, please review and enjoy-**

* * *

I stared blankly at my plate.

The mix of greens, pale creams and browns swam in front of my eyes until I could no longer distinguish peas from mash and sausage from carrots. My stomach churned at the site of the once delectable dish and I soon realised that I had been holding my fork in my fist so tightly my knuckles matched the sheet white of the porcelain plate in front of me.

I was beginning to lose my appetite rather rapidly.

We ate in a tension filled silence. Only the clatter of silverware on tables and the occasional creak of chairs could be heard echoing eerily around the kitchen of the Burrow. No one had yet to say a word and from the corner of my eye I could see that Fred had not moved since we had sat down nearly ten minutes ago.

His hand still clung loosely to mine beneath the table and as I had done countless times over the last hour I gave it a reassuring squeeze. I'm not particularly sure who I was reassuring at that point, it may have been directed at him but I feel my frail heart needed it just as much as Fred's.

Just as I felt his hand tighten around my own, the clang of cutlery bouncing from wood pierced my ears.

If it wasn't for the deafening silence that had been lingering before the crash, I probably wouldn't have jumped so badly. The shock of noise to my system set all my nerves on edge, I must have looked like a shaking Chihuahua as everyone trained their eyes on the source of the noise.

Surprisingly, I found myself looking across the table to Ron. His knife and fork had been discarded roughly around his plate and he was staring at me with a scrutinising glare.

'Why'd you keep it from us?' he bit out, softer than I was expecting. It wasn't particularly angry, more curious.

Panicking, I turned to face Fred. He seemed calm but it was more of a '_not-really-there_' kind of serenity that had me completely shaken. Sensing that Fred would be of little use to this situation, my brain kick started into action. Answers to the practise questions fired through my head as if my brain was flicking through a filing cabinet as fast as it could possibly manage until it found the right answer.

'I was still in school and Fred wasn't, we were unsure what people would make of the age difference and the fact it was the '_prefect and the prankster_' so to speak. Fred didn't want people to tease and we, uh, we-'

I was stalling. We had come up with a couple of the most realistic responses we could, but now they just seemed a little pathetic as I recited them to the Weasley's. I needed to loosen up; I needed Fred to step in; his collected drama skills would be greatly appreciated right about now.

'-We wanted it to just be _ours_. We wanted some time not having to answer questions or have people gush over us or teasing us. _I_ wanted it to just be me and H, no one else,'

I smiled softly as Fred took my place at the end of this firing range. He answered the question so sincerely; everyone looked as though they truly believed him. '_Loves young dream'_ I couldn't help but think.

He turned to look at me and gave me that dazzling smile I had only had the fortune of seeing on special occasions.

'Isn't that right, _H_?' he emphasised the last word before giving me a wink.

I knew what the wink meant- _'just go with it, have fun'_ and it was also a sure sign that Fred had snapped back from where ever he had been drifting off to earlier during the dinner.

I also couldn't help but smile at the use of the nickname. We hadn't discussed pet names or anything but calling me '_H_', will make it look like as if we really do care, that this really is real.

I scan my brain for some kind of nickname I can call Fred but nothing but cheesy 'hunnies' 'babes' and 'sweeties' come to mind. I grin again at the thought of us being a typical fluffy couple but then I stop suddenly. This needs to look real, not as if we're messing around, I remind myself.

'Of course it is, and you _know_ what I said about calling me H,' I play along as if Fred has called me that a thousand times before. I pray he gets the message because obviously, I've never said anything in my life about him calling me 'H'.

'Yeah, I know you don't like it but it's cute so it stays,' he replies cheekily as he tosses me another wink. I find myself relaxing and forgetting all about the wide eyes that watch our entire interaction and focus solely on Fred and making this as real as possible.

Real. Keep it real.

I humph, and stick my tongue out at him like a child. He laughs and I hear a few chuckles from the rest of the table too. My eyes are stolen from his however, by the sharp cough of Molly.

'Well as _lovely_ as this is,' her voice is strained. She doesn't want to say this but she feels she is obligated to, it's as clear as day in her tone. 'I would quite like to know the conditions surrounding this appeal you mentioned earlier, what does it involve exactly?'

Fred and I sober up immediately. We may have managed to get a few of the Weasley siblings on board with our little performance but we still have Molly, _and George_ my heads reminds me, to convince.

'Well we need to go to the Ministry of Magic first to book a test date,' I start off before Fred finishes. Maybe this finishing sentences thing isn't just for twins I think as I watch his strong jaw tense with each word.

'Then they will test us about our relationship to make sure it's real, they can't have just anyone changing partners and marring after all,'

We both look towards Molly. She raises her eyebrows before humming.

'And is it? Is it real?'

I feel a bead of sweat begin to roll down the back of my neck. I glance to Fred and mask my features so I look deeply offended.

'Of course it is! Do you really think we'd lie about something like this?' I feel bile rise in my throat as the scold leaves my lips. _Liar, _my head screams but my face remains neutral.

'We love each other mum, and I'm sorry we kept it from you for so long but it's true. This whole thing is, whether you like it or not, real and happening,'

I feel my cheeks redden slightly at the mention of love. I've never been in love. I'm 18 and the only relationship I've ever really considered even close to love would be when I dated a Ravenclaw chaser during my fifth year. I have no experience at what being in love is like, so the stories of love and romance I have read over summers staying with my parents are my only real guide as to how to fake it.

Hopefully my trusted books won't let me down now.

Molly 'humphs' again and the rest of the Weasley's stare at Fred in awe. They all seem genuinely convinced of our relationship and the thought that we won't have to try and persuade _all_ of these people makes my chest feel just a fraction lighter. Only Molly and George left, I think as Molly eyes us carefully.

I see her eyes follow our arms below the table to where they are currently locked in a vice hold. She seems still unsure of us but her next question gives me a glimmer of hope.

'I don't doubt your love Fred,' it's not as strained as earlier but it's still not as believable and sincere as id like. 'Are there anymore tests the Ministry have to do, I doubt they would let you change partners after a few short questions,'

Fred replies so I don't have to. 'we have the test and then we have to supply ten people who will prove the relationship is real and,' he pauses and looks around at his brothers and sister, 'we were hoping you guys would fill some of those spaces,'

A few of his brothers nod, Charlie, Bill and surprisingly Ron all agree to testify for us. Ginny similes too and I know she's on board. She will no doubt quiz me relentlessly later but for now she seems genuinely happy that Fred and I are going to marry.

'Thank you all, really. You have no idea what it means to us,' although I say it to them as if we just want to marry and be in love, I know and Fred knows, that it means more than that. It's a thanks for not cutting us out, a thanks for not asking too many questions and a thanks for being so supportive despite the fact we've done next to nothing to deserve it.

Percy, Harry and Arthur are the only ones apart from Molly that don't seem so sure. Percy I expected, being a stick-in-the-mud for all rules and regulations of the Ministry and Arthur is probably just trying not to anger Molly but Harry I'm really shocked by.

He can read me like an open book, I know. He knows something's up but I can tell he doesn't want to hurt me by calling my bluff in front of everyone. His wise beyond his year's eyes bore into mine and I know he wants to call me out so badly but he won't, because he's Harry Potter and that's just not what he does.

I shake my head ever so slightly at him, just to plead- _'Not here Harry, not now'_ and he seems to get the message as he speaks up.

'I will testify too,'

We thank him profoundly and I glance again over the split table. This '_Operation Fremione_' has had a rather mixed bunch of results so far. Charlie, Bill, Ginny, Ron and Harry all want to testify so we can marry, they are the ones already convinced. I must admit I am stunned that it was that simple. We told of our back-story, why we kept it a secret and shared a few choice glances and they all believed we are in love. Either we are better actors than we thought or we really _can_ pull this off.

I pray it's the latter.

I feel as if one wrong look or one wrong word and we're done, finished before it even began. But the knowledge that at least half of the Weasley's are behind us spurs me on and I find Fred's eyes again before grinning.

_We can do this. We will do this._

* * *

The rest of the dinner didn't focus too much on Fred and I's new found relationship. We finished telling the Weasley's the rest of the conditions, like how we need our original matches consent and we also told them who our matches were. The news that I would have been married to Draco Malfoy also helped to solidify our reasoning for marring each other.

'_Malfoy?! Of course I'll testify to stop you from marring that weasel!'_

We also had a chance to talk to everyone else about their matches. They were all happy to be marring the people the Ministry chose and I even started to get a little excited at the thought of marring Fred. The entire evening we have barely let go of each others hands and I've also spent a lot of it sitting curled up to his side on the sofa. His chest is incredibly toned and I had to stop myself from gasping and blushing the first time he wrapped his arms around me. We needed to make it look easy and as if we'd done it a hundred times before, not like I was only just discovering how attractive he was.

It had been easier than I had expected I must admit. Tonight definitely had its moments but eventually we achieved most of what we set out to do. We got support. They know the story. All we need to do now is keep it up.

* * *

'Thank you all for being so understanding,' I smiled as I hugged Ginny goodbye. Molly was still processing her thoughts and excused herself to the kitchen to continue washing up and Fred and I had decided we were fine with that. After seeing the rest of the family, she would come around. We were sure of it.

'Harry and I want to invite you round soon, we want to know the whole story not just the little snippets you gave us all today, alright?' Ginny gushed as Fred took my arm and prepared us for the sickening travel of apparition.

'Okay!' we smiled as we turned in all directions and away from the Burrow.

We landed at the top of the book staircase at the back of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Fred unlocked the door and we stepped inside. As soon as we entered and the lights flickered to life I realised that we still had our hands interlocked. We both looked down before separating them awkwardly. The missing pressure of his hand made my heart pang a little but I shook the thought from head. No need to go getting too attached after all.

'Well, apart from my mum and George,' Fred looked saddened when he said George's name but he bounced back as he looked up and gave me a grin, 'I think that went rather well, don't you?'

I chuckled back and nodded. I was happy that our foundations had been set and that all we needed to do now is keep up the act, but I was also nervous for what was to come. We still had to talk to Draco and Pansy and break the news to my family. And I had a dreaded feeling that my family talk would go no where near as well as the Weasley's. And that one didn't exactly go to peachy anyway.

I glanced towards the clock in the kitchen, it was nearly eleven and I was absolutely exhausted. All I could think of now was sleep. It seemed completely unreal to think that all this marriage law craziness only started this morning and not a hundred years ago like it feels.

Fred yawns and nods to his room. 'Sleep?' I reply with a slow, tired nod.

When we reach Fred's room, it is only then that I realise two things.

I have none of my clothes or possessions here.

There is only one bed and two people.

I feel a blush crawl up my neck and make home on my cheeks. I look to Fred and raise my eyebrows at the bed whilst my teeth scrap along my bottom lip. It takes him a moment before he realises what I'm hinting at.

'Oh!' he proclaimed, 'right, one bed, well you can crash on there and I will sleep on the floor, sound good?'

I feel bad making him sleep on the floor, so I try to come up with a different solution. 'What about the sofa? Why don't I sleep there?'

He shakes his head with a small smile as he walks over to a set of drawers. 'What would that look like if George, or anyone for that matter, came over and found you on the sofa and me in bed? We're meant to be engaged remember H?'

I'm a little startled by the nickname again. I had assumed it was just for show, like the hand holding and flirty eyes, not something we actually used when alone. Fred seemed to notice his mistake too and his cheeks turn the faintest red.

'I suppose so, but you can't sleep on the floor,' I say, ignoring the nickname slip up.

Fred just shrugs as he pulls out some blue pyjama bottoms. 'I don't mind, and there's not exactly anywhere else for me to sleep without it looking suspicious, so it will have to do,'

I take a deep breath before closing my eyes briefly. I can't believe what I'm about to say but it tumbles from my lips anyway.

'Sleep in the bed with me then,'

* * *

Fred looks uncertain as he eyes my crimson stained face. 'You sure? I don't have to if you do-' I cut him off. 'I'm sure. Just... no funny business alright?'

He gives me a reassuring smile as he squeezes my shoulder affectionately.

'Of course not my lady, I am nothing but a gentleman,'

I laugh and roll my eyes jokingly before I remember my clothes.

'Oh and Fred? All of my clothes are still at the Burrow, I don't suppose I could borrow something of yours?' I ask anxiously as he walks back over to the drawers.

He tosses me a large grey shirt with the Weird Sisters logo on the front and some black boxers. I catch them cleanly before muttering a small thanks as I realise I'm about to wear some of Fred's underwear.

'Sorry it has to be boxers, there's no way any of my other clothes will fit and you can't charm them because the charms always mess with the fabric and last time I tried I got a pretty hideous rash,' he looked genuinely apologetic and I found myself shrugging anyway.

'I'm sure it'll be fine, thank you Fred,' I pause and look at his back as he pushes the drawer closed, his muscles ripple nicely under the cloth of his shirt.

'You can change in the bathroom, then we can finally go to bed, I'm absolutely knackered," he yawned as I slipped from the room, clothes in hand.

I changed quickly in the bathroom and pulled my hair up into a bun. It was stupidly messy even though I had been trying to tame it for nearly twenty minutes now. I finally gave up and walked back to Fred's bedroom, his long grey shirt hanging just below my bum and the edge of the boxers.

I looked down at my legs as I walked and realised no one had properly seen this much of my skin before. I breathed in deeply and reminded myself it was just Fred. He won't care about how much leg I've got on show. We're only going to bed.

When I open the door I find the lights are off and that Fred is just about to climb into the bed. From the light that has slipped in through the doorway I can see Fred is only wearing the blue pyjama bottoms. His stomach is toned and defined and the blush I had been fighting earlier is back full force. I stumble in before he can notice my face and lack of clothing.

I climb quickly into the other side of the bed and I thank Merlin the Twins have a new found love of the luxurious, otherwise I don't think there would be quite this much space between Fred and myself.

We settle in and pull the covers up. I feel the bed shift and Fred turns on his side to face me in the dark. I can only just make out his outline as he begins to speak.

'Well done for today H, now we've only got a few more months to go,'

I can hear the sleep threatening to draw him under as his speech is slow and he also let the nickname slip again. I smile even though I'm sure he can't see me through the dark and reply with a small, 'good night Fred,'

I hear his deep, even breaths and I find myself matching my breaths to his until I too am lulled under the blanket of darkness that is sleep.

* * *

**:)**

**Blimey, this felt a little all over the place but I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway. Please review and let me know if you loved it or hated it, I just want to know your thoughts ;) **

**Oh and hopefully my updates will be more frequent from now on too, so that's a good thing right?**

**Love always,**

**SophieSolemnlySwears.**

**P.S- I'm thinking of maybe writing a **_Divergent_** FanFiction all about **_Tris_** and **_Four_**, would any of you read it if I did? (and don't worry I won't start it until at least one of my other fics is officially complete!)**


End file.
